does anybody else think de-clawing a cat is extremely cruel?

Question

Surely you should respect nature and the cat for being what it is? if you don't like the claws, don't get the cat!!!

D - u are right to a certain extent, although I think that cats especially are extremely independant and train their owners rather than the other way around. I would NEVER keep an animal housebound and not let it out, i do not agree with that either.

jw349 - what absolute rubbish!! How can you say the cat 'doesn't mind"? that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. How could you possibly know the cat doesn't mind? it is an animal NOT a human so has no concept of 'doesn't mind'. But it sure as hell can feel pain. u are another perfect example of an extremely selfish pet owner

jd person - I'd hardly call myself - a qualified Zoologist who has worked in the field of both wild animal rehabilitation AND domestic animal rescue and rehabilitation ignorant. your reasons for carrying out this barbaric practice ARE selfish, the cat would certianly not choose be be mutilated in this way. By stating it doesn't mind is trying to justify to yourself that what u are doing is ok, thereby apeasing the guilt you must be feeling by doing it in the first place. like i said, ignorant and selfish!!!

cpinatsi - i think you are right. I'm english and as far as I know, it is not a common practice here. It seems to be mainly in the USA

Answer 1

As a cat breeder....we extremely dissapprove of declawing. It is more than cruel, it is inhumane. Any educated person knows that this is a partialamputation. A tendonectomy requiresremoval of the ENTIRE first joint of the paw. This is akin to chopping of the tip of all our fingers and toes. Someone CAN heal from thistype of butchery but they will never be the same. De-clawing often changes the temperment of a cat and destroys good litterbox habits.JW is very, very wrong. I have seen cats who end up ebing sent to shelter because of this procedure. Most reputable vets will NOTdo this procedure. The only ones that do...including the one that Miss JW probably works for....do it only for monetary gain NOT for the animals welfare. Clipping a cat's nails is easy to do. Those who de-claw and justify it ..don't fully understand lasting consequence. I have dealt with thousands of CATS in my lifetime.....in MANY states. The "it doesn't hurt them" justification is what people who de-claw try to comfort themselves with....after doing something so selfish.

Answer 2

Its a tough call. I love cats. I have 4 of them. One is declawed. He's an inside cat, that never thinks about going outside. I have another cat that loves the outdoors, and i usually can't keep him in. He has his claws. The other 2 are young kittens. I've thought about getting them declawed. The water gun theory doesn't work for them. They just end up playing with the water when I squirt them with it. I'm also a groomer, and i can say for certain that when I'm grooming a cat that is declawed, i feel much safer!! I think that if it is done at a very young age, they don't mind it. There are people that love cats and want them as pets, and the only way they can keep them is if they are declawed. I had a landlord tell me I had to have my cat declawed if I wanted to keep it in my apartment. Rather then find a home for me little buddy, I had him declawed. He was almost 5 years old. He was fine in a day or so, and never showed signs of being uncomfortable or that he missed his claws. If the vet knows what they are doing, the cat doesn't suffer. Yes, it is thier natural defense, but not thier only defense. They still have their back claws and teeth. They can still climb trees when needed and defend themselves. They learn to componsate for the lack of front claws. I do not agree with declawing all four feet. They should always keep thier back claws. But when you do love them, and take care not to let them out, declawing makes it possible for people who other wise couldn't have them. It really isn't as cruel as one would think. Cats are domesticated animals. They have evolved into such. Honestly, it really doesn't bother them.

Answer 3

How would you like the first joint of your fingers cut off and then not recieve any pain meds afterward? That's what vets do to cats when they declaw them. You should research all of the possible pros and cons before you get an animal so you don't get the shredded couch shocker later on. It is a completely natural thing for a cat to have its claws. They should not be removed. Some cats gets deformities and cannot walk normally after having the surgery.

Answer 4

I currently have 3 cats and have had others over the years. I have never done - I think it's cruel. My cats are indoor cats - they have destroyed every piece of furniture in my home, but still I think it is cruel to declaw. My friend has used these things that the vet glues on the end of the claws - I think they are rubber or plastic. Anyway, they keep that cat from destroying stuff. Only downside to them is they fall off after a while and you need to have them reapplied.
Here's the website for a brand called softpaws (sorry it's an ad, but you can see the product.)
http://www.softpaws.com/

Answer 5

As much as many of you would like to believe that a cat can defend itself from a much larger, much stronger dog if the cat still has its claws, this is simply not true. Don't get me wrong, I love cats and have never had a house cat declawed. I have however unfortunately seen more than one cat with its claws meet its doom at the jaws of a neighborhood dog. On the other hand I have seen declawed cats get away from dogs by running through spaces the dog would not fit. I'm not into declawing cats. But I want this to be a fair debate and not based on the inaccurate belief that it makes a cat defensless. They are like people, some are smarter than others, some just don't get it.

It is easy to teach them to scratch those cardboard scratching boards with the help of a little bit of catnip. They seem to like them much better than the carpet covered scratching posts and they are really inexpensive. It is easier to be lazy and declaw them than to take the time to teach them where to scratch. When they go to scratch a piece of furniture, don't yell at them or throw anything, simply pick them up and take them to the scratching board, take their paws squeeze them gently so that their claws are exposed, make the scratching motion with them, it will take a few times, but they will take the hint. I think this is more responsible than declawing. Speaking of responsibility...spay or nueter your pet to help keep the population under control.

Answer 6

I think it's a very bad idea. Not only can you keep scratching under control by buying your cat a cat tree and some other items which are okay to claw, but if your cat ever has to go outside later for some reason, it can't defend itself. My cats would be LOST without their claws, and I'd much rather have ruined furniture than ruined cats!

Answer 7

I would never declaw. Furniture doesn't feel pain. Plus if you get a satisfactory cat tree, and you can build one at home out of scraps you probably have lying around cluttering up the garage, or out of stuff you can haul away on neighborhood clean up day, you can train the cat to use it instead of the furniture.
Put Cat Tree in your browser and plans will come up for Build your own trees from simple to elaborate.

Answer 8

I don't, because it's their primary defense. A co-worker of mine once told me how her declawed cat escaped from the house one day, and was immediately set upon by a stray dog. The poor cat couldn't climb up a tree or defend herself. It died of its injuries. She's never forgiven herself and I don't think I could either, if such a thing happened. They may need training not to claw up your sofa, but I'd take a shredded cushion over a dead cat any day.

Answer 9

A friend of mine took in a cat from a friend of her's when she was moving. She forgot to tell her the cat was de-clawed.
Shortly after having the cat, she heard a terrific noise outside her home. She got there to see a dog killing the cat.
The cat couldn't climb the nearby tree because she didn't have any claws, nor defend herself when cornered.
I've seen cats WITH claws hold off a much bigger dog because they did have them.

Answer 10

ABSOLUTLY!!!!!!! very cruel!!!! my 2 yr. old female was declawed at 6 months but then I didn't know better about what the procedure is like and how the outcome would be!!!! I was sooooooo misinformed and I regret declawing her front claws!!!! it's totally unnecessary!!! all you have to do is clip the claws every couple of weeks!! if I knew then what I know now then she would still have her claws!!! I'm just glad she's strictly indoors and doesn' like to go outside!!!!! my 6 mth. old kitten who I adopted in July from my SPCA will keep his claws!!!!

declawing should be outlawed!!!!!!

P.S. I DO agree with keeping cat strictly indoors becuase there are sooooo many bad and unpredictible things that can happen to them when they're out roaming unsupervised!!!!!! cats who live strictly indoors live longer healthier lives!!!!!!

don't call her selfish and irresponsible when you're the same way!!!! you let your cat roam free outside and don't seem to mind that!!!! but, yet, I do agree with you. cats DO mind and they DO care!! animals have feelings and feel pain just as much as we do!!!!!